Texas gets 'Newborn Babies Week'

(L-R) Dr. Rajam Ramamurthy chats with Dr. Dharmapuri Vidyasagar, a neonatologist from The University of Illinois at Chicago, and Atal Bihari
Vajpaye, health minister of India, during the recent celebration of the declaration of "Newborn Babies
Week" in India.

Thanks to efforts by Dr. Rajam Ramamurthy,
pediatrics, and two state senators, Texas has become
the first state in the nation to have a "Newborn Babies
Week" declared by the state Legislature. Senate
Resolution No. 750, which called for the special week,
was sponsored by Sen. Jeff Wentworth and
co-sponsored by Sen. Judith Zaffirini.

Dr. Ramamurthy got the idea to create a special week
for Texas when she saw a similar celebration in India
last November. She was one of two representatives
from the Physicians of Indian Origin at the declaration
ceremonies held at the Indian prime minister's
residence in New Delhi. She brought the idea to the
Texas Medical Association (TMA) committee on
maternal perinatal health, which she chairs.

"The TMA is an effective voice in
the Legislature," she said. "Through
a well-laid-out procedure, issues can
be very effectively presented to the
Legislature, and the members listen."

Texas ranks second in the nation in
the lack of prenatal care during the
first trimester, Dr. Ramamurthy said.
In five of the 12 public health regions
in Texas, more than 32 percent of
the women have no first-trimester
prenatal care.

A state-level core committee will
meet in Austin in September to plan
the agenda for the first newborn
week. It is expected that the
state-level organizations involved
with maternal infant issues will
combine forces to address the issues.
The TMA committee has identified
increasing attendance for first- and
second-trimester prenatal care as the
first task, Dr. Ramamurthy said.

Among other findings by the TMA
committee, the Texas infant mortality
rate and neonatal mortality rate of
6.4 and 4 per 1,000 live births,
respectively, are similar to the
national figures of 7.2 and 4.8.
However, Texas has the ninth
highest adolescent birth rate among
all states, and the rate more than
doubled from 6.3 percent in 1992 to
16.1 percent in 1997 (the latest
figures available).